


pumpkin, cheddar and taffy

by andromedagalaxy



Series: Philkas College Verse [12]
Category: Eyewitness (US TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-05
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-10-28 07:19:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10826454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andromedagalaxy/pseuds/andromedagalaxy
Summary: "Remember those puppies I told you I adopted?" she asks."Yeah..." Lukas says, slowly. It was a little bit after they first met and something she'd wanted to do for a long time. He'd gotten caught up in a group text with some of her friends from California, but when he showed Philip the picture of the three Australian shepherd puppies he'd shrieked and nearly clawed off his own face."Well, they need someone to look after 'em," she says. "I’m stayin’ overnight, it'd be this Friday through Sunday, one day for each little lunatic, and no one else is steppin' up. You can obviously say no—""Once sec," Lukas says, pressing mute on his phone."What is it?" Philip asks. "Am I finally gonna get to meet her?""She wants us to watch those three—"Philip's eyes light up and he swings his feet down to hit the floor, almost instantly closing the distance between them. He grabs Lukas's knee. "The puppies? She wants us to watch the puppies?"





	pumpkin, cheddar and taffy

Lukas is sitting on the couch with Philip's feet in his lap when his phone starts ringing. He briefly looks at Philip, narrowing his eyes, and for a small moment he has no idea who might be calling him. It's got to be some kind of spam shit, because he literally just got off the phone with his dad, and if Helen and Gabe wanted to do some kind of secret surprise for Philip, they'd text or email. 

He sees the name ANGELA flashing on his phone. 

"Oh hey!" he says. "It's the nice girl from the subway!"

"Oh cool!" Philip says. "Answer!"

"Right, right," Lukas says, fumbling to press the right button before the call drops. "Hello?"

"Lukas! That you?"

"Angela, hey!" he says, grinning. He'd sorta been hoping she'd call, because they're in desperate need of some real friends. He's been texting with her a good amount since the subway incident, and he actually genuinely likes her. Mark has completely fallen to the wayside since he found out Lukas wasn't looking for a way out of his relationship, and everyone in their study groups seems way too into studying to actually go out and do something fun. "We keep missing each other for lunch!” Lukas says, smiling over at Philip, who smiles back. 

"I know, sweetie, but life has been getting in the damn way," Angela says. "Listen, I hate to be calling with a favor the first time I call, but I figure our six hour experience brought us a little closer than a normal first meetin', and everybody else just ain't reliable or ain't coming through. And absolutely tell me if this ain't something that's not gonna work for you—"

"What is it?" Lukas asks, looking at Philip again. Philip cocks his head and Lukas shrugs, listening.

"I've got this emergency job thing in Long Island—it's basically an opportunity I've been waitin' for but it came a lot quicker than expected. Everybody I've asked is either unavailable or untrustworthy. I didn't wanna bother you but, well—"

"I'm listening," he says, trying to recall all the things she's mentioned to him for the month they've been texting. 

"Remember those puppies I told you I adopted?" she asks.

"Yeah..." Lukas says, slowly. It was a little bit after they first met and something she'd wanted to do for a long time. He'd gotten caught up in a group text with some of her friends from California, but when he showed Philip the picture of the three Australian shepherd puppies he'd shrieked and nearly clawed off his own face. 

"Well, they need someone to look after 'em," she says. "I’m stayin’ overnight, it'd be this Friday through Sunday, one day for each little lunatic, and no one else is steppin' up. You can obviously say no—"

"Once sec," Lukas says, pressing mute on his phone.

"What is it?" Philip asks. "Am I finally gonna get to meet her?"

"She wants us to watch those three—"

Philip's eyes light up and he swings his feet down to hit the floor, almost instantly closing the distance between them. He grabs Lukas's knee. "The puppies? She wants us to watch the puppies?"

Lukas laughs, taking in the pure joy on Philip's face. "I take it that means yes?"

"Yes, I'll skip class," Philip says, nodding. "When?"

"I love that you said you'd skip class not even knowing which class you'd be skipping," Lukas says, smiling fondly at him. 

"I'd rob a bank for those puppies, Lukas," Philip says, seriously. 

"Definitely a yes," Lukas says, taking the phone off mute and bringing it back to his ear. "Yeah, Angela?"

"You askin' Philip?"

"Yeah, which didn't take much. He's excited. We're gonna do it."

"Oh my God," she says, sighing loudly. "Boy, you two are doing me a big favor here. Never thought I'd be thankful that subway stopped on us."

Lukas snorts. "When do you think you'll be over on Friday?" 

"How's eleven sound?" she asks. "I gotta haul up all their supplies, I hope it doesn't make you rethink—"

"We're not gonna back out," Lukas says, glancing at Philip's excited face in his peripheral. "You don't yet understand how much Philip likes dogs."

~

Lukas watches Philip run around the apartment, picking up the smallest goddamn feather off the ground and putting it in the trash. He rearranges the blankets on the couch about a hundred times and stands there staring at it, like there has to be something wrong. 

"Philip," Lukas says, walking over and rubbing his back. "They're puppies. They're not going to judge you."

"I want it to be comfortable," Philip says. 

"It's perfect," Lukas says, kissing him on the cheek. “They’re going to love it.”

"Anyways, an actual human that isn't the two of us is coming by too," Philip says, leaning into him. "Your friend I've been wanting to meet!"

"Hopefully we can hang out with her more when she gets back," Lukas says. "Maybe we'll hang out with her _and_ the puppies."

"The most ideal situation," Philip says, and then there's a knock at the door.

They walk over and open the door, revealing Angela standing there with a big grin on her face. She's got one big carrying case, along with two bags full of God knows what. She's just as pretty as Lukas remembers and he's a little startled when she sits everything down, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around both of them at the same time.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" she chants, jumping up and down a little bit. She pulls back and Lukas can vaguely hear Philip gasp when they hear a little bark come from the carrier. "Lukas, it's amazing to see you above ground."

"Right back at you," Lukas says, watching her hone in on Philip.

"And here he is," she says, beaming at him. "You're just a little doll. You should have seen how much your boy wanted to get back to you. It was the cutest thing."

"I heard about it," Philip says, making eye contact with Lukas.

Angela hums, widening her eyes. "Sounds like your night turned out better than mine did," she says. 

Lukas laughs and sees Philip go red.

There's another set of barks and Philip looks about fit to burst, clenching his hands in front of him. 

Angela looks down, starting to kneel. Lukas kicks the door closed behind her. "Well, let’s meet the little monsters," she says, opening the cage door. 

Both Lukas and Philip crouch down next to her and Philip has to muffle his exclamation when the puppies come marching out. They're all different colors, so distinctive and different, and the one that's mostly white immediately makes for Philip, nudging its little face into his hand to make him pet it. 

"Oh my God," Philip whispers, his voice breaking. 

"That's little Pumpkin, always gettin' into everybody's business," Angela says, clicking her tongue.

The other two briefly look at Lukas before moving past him and into the living room. "They have food names too, right?" Lukas asks, looking at Angela.

"Cheddar and Taffy," Angela says. "Taffy's the chunkier one. Loves her treats, little nasty thing. Won't eat no normal food if she ain't got treats to go along with it."

"Noted," Lukas says, watching Philip pick Pumpkin up. He holds her in his hands so delicately, nuzzling their noses together. Lukas’s stomach does a little flip as he watches the display, and he clears his throat when he looks back at Angela. 

"I've got all their food for the weekend, they sleep inside the carrier because they're still interested in cuddling."

Philip whines a little bit from high in his throat, looking over his shoulder at Taffy and Cheddar. 

"And they're potty trained?" Lukas asks, wincing a little bit at how stupid that sounds coming out of his mouth.

"Yep, they love their walks," Angela says, patting the floor in front of her. Cheddar turns around as soon as he hears the sound, toddling back over to slide down in front of her.

"So Pumpkin and Taffy are girls?" Philip asks, holding Pumpkin against his chest. 

"Yep, and Cheddar's the little boy troublemaker," Angela says. She sighs, smiling at Philip and Pumpkin. "You two sure this ain't too much of an imposition? Lukas, I mean, we met once and now I'm dumping three children on you and your boyfriend. Not the usual way the situation goes down—"

Lukas snorts, watching Philip laugh. He leans back and scoops Cheddar up too, leaving Lukas to scoot across the floor and block Taffy off from marching into their laundry room. Her little chocolate brown eyes bore into his own, and he knows that if he's falling in love with these puppies that Philip is definitely already gone.

"It's gonna be great," Lukas says, nodding at Angela. "We're gonna have an amazing time."

~

Once Angela is gone Lukas feels like the puppies can sense his nervousness. Taffy has the little gold marks above her eyes that make her look angry, and he constantly feels like she's judging him. It doesn't help that she follows him everywhere he goes, including into the bathroom. 

Philip sets out their dishes on the kitchen floor, giggling when he sees them watching him. "They look apprehensive," he says, looking up at Lukas.

"Just make sure to give Taffy the treats or we're gonna have a testy puppy on our hands," Lukas says, watching her. She's set back a little from Cheddar and Pumpkin, who are sitting close to Philip's foot and staring up at him.

"They're so well behaved," Philip says, pouring what looks like an inordinate amount of food into the bowls. 

"Don't go crazy, we don't want them ballooning up over the three days she's gone," Lukas says. "And you're gonna jinx it with this well behaved talk. Later on Cheddar is gonna tear something up."

"Why are you preemptively blaming Cheddar?" Philip asks, sitting down in front of the bowls after the puppies walk over and start eating.

"He's a boy," Lukas says, shrugging. "The boys are always the more difficult ones."

"True," Philip says, scoffing. He pets Pumpkin's head lightly as they eat, smiling down at them.

Lukas feels his chest going warm. "You already have a favorite, babe."

"I do not," Philip says, looking up at him. "All puppies are my favorites."

"Mmhm." Lukas watches him gaze down at them, watches Cheddar stumble a little bit and knock into Taffy. Philip and Lukas both laugh, shaking their heads. 

~

They take them for a walk and Philip is so paranoid about them getting into the street, despite being on leashes and being distracted by every blade of grass. Once they do their business Philip takes to carrying them around in his arms, looking half panicked, like someone is going to steal them. Lukas keeps staring at him with the three whining puppies in his arms and his stomach twists as they start back home. 

"I need a picture of you," Lukas says, walking backwards and pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"They want to get down," Philip says, kissing the top of Pumpkin's head. "But I'm afraid. They're precious cargo."

"You're precious cargo," Lukas says, taking about ten pictures in a quick sequence so he can pick his favorite later.

~

Around six that night Lukas is making tacos, listening to the insistent squeak of one of the hundred toys Angela left with them. He hears his phone buzzing on the counter, looks over to see a text from Angela.

_Those munchkins harassed you to death yet?_

Lukas chuckles, quickly typing his reply. _They're too cute for their own good. Philip is gonna want a dog after this._

"Lukas, I want a dog," Philip calls, and then there's the sound of a squeaker toy being hurled across the living room, twelve little feet rushing after it. 

Lukas snorts, looking over his shoulder. "I knew you were going to say that," he says. The puppies all latch on to the toy, which looks like it used to be a lobster before three sets of teeth got to it, and they all growl at each other, tugging it back and forth. Philip is pointing his phone at them, the camera sound going off over and over. 

"You sending pictures to Helen and Gabe?" Lukas asks, looking back to the beef on the burner.

"Yeah," Philip says. "Prepare for not so subtle messages about getting your boyfriend a new puppy."

"I'm already ready," Lukas says. 

~

"Philip, they like to be crated," Lukas says, but he knows it's not helping that he's holding Taffy and Cheddar, the two of them lolling and falling asleep in his arms. Cheddar keeps making little yipping sounds in his sleep and Lukas is nearly dying of cute. 

Philip looks horrified, sitting with Pumpkin in his lap on the bed. 

"I even brought the carrier in here," Lukas says, gesturing to it in the corner by their bed. "So they'll be close."

"Did you put water in there?" Philip asks, holding Pumpkin possessively. "And their blankets?"

That brings on an unexpected vision into Lukas's mind's eye. The two of them and a baby. It's not that much more than that, just an image, a brief feeling, but it hits him so hard that he nearly passes out. He shakes his head and remembers he's holding two puppies. "Yeah," he says, his voice breaking. He walks over, depositing Taffy and Cheddar into the carrier, making sure to fluff the blankets around them.

"Okay," Philip says, kissing the top of Pumpkin's head five or six times before walking over and putting her in the carrier with her siblings. Lukas closes the door and walks over to turn off the light. The whole room is quickly bathed in darkness, only the streetlights sending strips of gold in through their window. 

"Come on," Lukas says, finding Philip among the shadows and tugging him to bed. 

Philip groans a little bit but follows him without a word. Lukas pulls the sheets back and gets under them, feeling the bed dip when Philip climbs in after him. They turn onto their sides and Lukas wraps his arms around him, kissing the spot under Philip's ear. 

"You're so cute with these puppies," Lukas whispers. "I can't stand it."

"They're our children for three days," Philip says back, pressing a dry kiss to Lukas's throat. "Our little, furry, precious children."

"Guess we're glad that subway stopped, huh?" Lukas asks, his mind wandering a bit. 

"I mean, if I had known puppies would be part of the deal I wouldn't have been so worried," Philip says, nudging closer to him.

Lukas laughs, shaking his head. "Goodnight, baby. I love you."

"I love you too," Philip says, and Lukas can already tell he's drifting to sleep.

~

When Lukas wakes up he's alone in the bed. He's had nightmares like that before and the reality of it startles him awake. 

"Babe?" he asks, his voice raspy as he sits up on his elbows. And as soon as he does he can see him—Philip is goddamn sleeping on the floor in front of the puppy carrier. His hand is hanging on the door and all three puppies are huddled up against it. The four of them are sleeping soundly and Lukas just stares for a few moments, a soft smile forming on his face. He wonders how long he's been down there, and he's a little annoyed at himself for sleeping through it.

He starts to get up when he realizes he needs to capture this moment before waking Philip up, so he grabs his phone from the bedside table and leans over the side of the bed. He takes a couple pictures from multiple angles and then realizes that he's just standing there staring at him again, a goofy idiot smile on his face. Philip is breathing softly through his mouth and Lukas knows it's impossible to measure how much he loves him.

He kneels next to him and touches his shoulder. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty," he whispers, running the backs of his fingers down Philip's cheek. 

Philip stirs a little, groaning. 

"What in the hell made you sleep down here?" Lukas says, watching him wince as he sits up.

"They were crying," Philip says, and Lukas sits down all the way so Philip can lean against him. "And you were so dead asleep that I had to take care of it."

Lukas scoffs. "You know you can wake me up."

Philip smiles, shifting to wrap his arms around Lukas's middle. "I'm kidding. I didn't exactly plan on falling asleep on the floor but they were all nuzzling my hand and passing out on top of each other—"

"Hard to resist," Lukas says, kissing Philip's forehead. "Now you know how I feel when you get all drunk and cuddly."

Philip laughs, shaking his head. 

"You just nudge at me and collapse on top of me and it's the cutest goddamn thing in the world," Lukas says, rubbing his shoulder.

"Not as cute as puppies," Philip says. 

"Let me be the judge of that," Lukas says. "And anyway, you and puppies, as I've been noticing, is the ultimate combination."

Philip beams up at him. "Kiss me."

"Mmm, good idea," Lukas says, and does just that.

~

"Lukas!" he hears Philip yelling. "Lukas, Lukas!"

There's loud music playing in the bedroom and Lukas nearly drops the knife he's making them sandwiches with.

"What?" he yells, running out of the kitchen and towards his voice, and when he turns the corner he sees Philip sitting in the middle of the bed with all three puppies. Philip looks absolutely enamored and Lukas can see why—the puppies are all three howling, their heads thrown back to the ceiling. 

"They like Troye Sivan," Philip says, his eyes bright. "Did you know they could do this? Did she mention this?" 

Lukas finds himself grinning and he shakes his head. "How long have they been at it?"

"They started with _Fools_ so I've been playing it on repeat," Philip says.

"Lemme get my phone," Lukas says, and he rushes out of the room, nearly skidding and slamming into the kitchen counter when he grabs it. He rushes back and starts filming right away when he sees they're still doing it. Philip sings along, holding his hands out in front of the puppies. Lukas stops filming when they stop howling, Taffy stepping forward and toppling over onto her back. Philip rubs her tummy, grinning.

"That's gonna go viral," Lukas says, watching it back on his phone as Philip turns the music down. "You think Angela would be mad we put her babies on the internet?"

"Ask first, but I doubt it," Philip says, putting Pumpkin on one knee and Cheddar on the other. "Everyone wants their animals to be famous."

~

Lukas finds out Pumpkin's favorite toy is a pink flamingo that's bigger than she is, and she runs away from him whenever he tries to get it from her. She backs Lukas up against the wall at one point when he has it, climbing up his chest and attacking his neck to try and get it back from him. 

"She's attacking me, Philip!" Lukas says, putting his hand around her little body. She growls and nips at his shirt, shaking it back and forth.

"Serves you right, taking her flamingo," Philip says, handing Taffy a treat.

"You're not helping!" Lukas says, his eyes closed tight. He lowers the flamingo a little bit and feels her lunge for it, yipping and sliding down his chest. He hears the camera go off and he opens his eyes. Philip is aiming his phone at them, Cheddar looking up expectantly. "We're gonna have a whole album of puppy pictures," Lukas says. "Angela is gonna think we're insane."

"No, more like she's gonna want us to babysit again," Philip says, taking a few more pictures, handing Cheddar a treat too. "I wish I could take Polaroids of them but I know they'd just turn out like little blurs."

"It'd look like an alien attack," Lukas says, dropping the flamingo and watching Taffy make for it. Pumpkin barks, loud for a puppy her size, and tries to run over and get there first. Lukas looks over and sees Cheddar give up on Philip's attention, moving to a pizza toy and flopping down on top of it. "Look," Lukas says. "Cheddar pizza."

Philip snorts. "Cute."

~

Philip tries to teach them things after dinner, like sit and roll over. It fails spectacularly but Lukas revels in watching the whole thing go down, sitting by silently and enjoying how much fun Philip is having. The puppies watch his animated hand gestures, follow him with their eyes but never do what he says, and Lukas knows he and Philip have fun here, all the day, all the time, but he doesn't think he's seen Philip look this happy in a while. The puppies seem to love him, and eventually stop sitting and waiting for him to give up the treats, tromping forward and diving into his outstretched hands. Philip laughs and Lukas's heart soars.

The puppies fall asleep early that night after their eventful day, and Angela texts Lukas a couple more times saying how thankful she is, and how well everything is going in Long Island, how she’s probably gonna get the job and do the commute every day, but it’ll be worth it. Lukas is genuinely happy for her, thinking for a moment what things will be like when he starts on a motocross circuit and Philip starts taking photography jobs. They put the puppies away in the carrier, and Philip puts the pink flamingo in as an afterthought.

"Are you gonna wind up on the floor again?" Lukas asks, watching Philip peel his shirt off.

"I don't know what the future holds," Philip says, smirking.

"We gotta let them grow up," Lukas says, walking over to him. "We can't cater to their every whim."

"Yes we can," Philip says, narrowing his eyes. "They're puppies. I'd die for them."

"Die for them, rob a bank," Lukas says, sliding his hands across Philip's hips. "I don't know what kinda stuff they're asking you to do when I'm not around. They sound like little gangsters."

"Fluffy and lovable is just their cover," Philip says, humming a little bit when Lukas presses him back against the bed. "We can't have sex, baby."

Lukas whines a little bit, splaying his hand out on Philip's lower back. "Why not?"

"There are children in the room, Lukas," Philip says, his eyes wide, a little pout on his lips. "There's no way."

Lukas shakes his head, knows he probably won't change his mind, but leans in to kiss him anyway. They sway back and forth a little bit and Philip shakes his head, groaning.

"No, babe," Philip says. "We can't be obscene."

"We can go under the covers."

Philip snorts, kissing him again. "When they're gone, Sunday night. It's a date."

"This worries me," Lukas says, teasing in his voice as he leans in to kiss Philip's cheek. "If we get a dog..."

"Different situation," Philip says, his voice wavering a little bit when Lukas starts to kiss his neck. "These guys could report back to Angela and then they'll never visit again."

"Report back," Lukas says, smirking. 

"Oh, they'll know," Philip says. "But our dog will be our dog. He'll probably sleep like a log. Like you. Snoring included."

"Philip, stop lying to yourself, I don't snore," Lukas says, looking into his eyes. 

"Mmhm, sure."

"Let's just kiss then," Lukas says, touching his face. "They can't be offended by kissing."

"Okay," Philip says. They get into bed and under the covers and Philip is on him fast, bringing their mouths together. Lukas lets his hands roam up and down Philip's body, tangling his fingers in his hair.

"You don't care that we're not having sex?" Philip asks against his mouth.

"Of course not," Lukas whispers. "Baby, if you only let me hold you for the rest of your life I'd be good with it. I just wanna be near you."

Philip leans back a little bit, and even in the darkness Lukas can tell he's blushing. "That's really..." He scoffs, dipping his head down. 

"I know, I'm really romantic," Lukas says, shrugging. Philip looks up again, with his beautiful eyes, and Lukas shakes his head. "You really got a hold on me," Lukas whispers. Sometimes he's still shocked at how vulnerable Philip makes him feel, but other times it feels like the most commonplace thing there is.

"I'm not gonna let go," Philip whispers, tugging him down so they can kiss again.

~

The next day Philip is moping around, knowing that Angela is gonna come back and the puppies are gonna be gone. He sits in front of them as they eat, and Cheddar makes little noises as he plows through his food, almost sounds like a dinosaur. 

Lukas looks up and sees the expression on Philip's face. He's shifting his mouth to the side, chewing on the inside of his cheek, and Lukas knows the dam is about to break. 

"You guys are so cute," Philip says. "And you're gonna be gone and we have to go back to class and..." He trails off with a sigh. He pets the tops of their heads, lingering a little with Pumpkin, and before Lukas can say anything Philip gets up and leaves the room.

"Baby," Lukas says, getting up to follow him, but when he turns the corner he sees Philip is right there, laying on the carpet. He's staring at the ceiling and Lukas sighs, laying down next to him. He reaches down and links their hands together. "Angela is our buddy," he says.

"I know," Philip says. 

“Even if she gets the job she’s not moving to Long Island,” Lukas says. “She’s gonna do the commute.”

“Yeah, you said,” Philip says.

"We're gonna see the puppies again," Lukas says, watching Philip's throat bob. 

"I believe you," Philip says.

"Then what's wrong, huh?" Lukas asks, squeezing his hand.

"I'm just being...dramatic," Philip says, reaching up to wipe at his eyes. "I'm sad they're leaving but I'm just getting weirdly...emotional."

"About what?" Lukas asks, brushing his fingers over Philip's cheek.

"Just us," Philip says. "These past days with the puppies have felt so...I don't know. Just like a life I never thought I'd have. I feel that all the time with you but with them here too it just feels so..."

"Domestic?" Lukas asks. 

"Yeah," Philip says, turning his head. "Sometimes I worry you'll get sick of me."

"I won't, ever," Lukas says, fast. "I'm in love with you. I'll never....I'll never stop being in love with you."

Philip looks like he's fighting a smile and he nods. "I know. I know and this weekend...with these puppies, stupid as it sounds....I could really, really see our future. Like it felt really, really solid—" His voice breaks and he covers his face with his hand. "Nothing has ever felt so...solid in my life but you...you and me..."

"We're solid as a rock, Philip," Lukas says, and as he's saying it he feels the puppies marching between them, Pumpkin yipping and stumbling into Philip. 

"Oh my God," Philip says, craning his neck to look down at them. Cheddar hops up onto Philip's chest and Philip laughs, grabbing Pumpkin and putting her onto his far shoulder. 

Taffy growls at Lukas as she attempts to climb up his leg and he laughs, scooping her up and putting her in the center of his chest. 

"I need to get a picture of this," Lukas says, shifting a little to pull his phone out of his pocket. The puppies all whine and make little noises, Pumpkin licking Philip's jaw while Cheddar is getting himself comfortable on his chest. Lukas scoots closer and holds out his phone above them, kissing Philip's cheek and taking the picture. 

"That's adorable," Philip says, the two of them looking at it.

"New phone wallpaper," Lukas says, his chest going warm. He holds Taffy so she doesn't tumble away and kisses Philip's cheek again, three times in quick succession. "We're gonna have as many dogs as you want, babe."

"When we get out of school?" Philip asks. 

"Whenever you want," Lukas says, kissing his temple. “And we’re gonna stay solid. Always.”

He knows Angela will be here in about two hours. But his mind keeps flashing to their future, all the possibilities that once could have felt scary and strange, now feel warm and incredible. And it's all because of Philip, and how goddamn much Lukas loves him. This love feels like gold, like something so deep and full that he could never explore every aspect of it. But he knows he's gonna try. Take all the years they can scrounge up to do every single thing in the world together.

"Tell Angela we can babysit these nerds any time she wants," Philip says, rubbing Cheddar's belly. 

"Oh, I think she realizes they have two new gay uncles," Lukas says, making Philip laugh. "Maybe we can hide the flamingo here. Make them have to come back."

Philip meets his eyes, grinning wide. "Good idea," he says.

"C'mere," Lukas whispers. They meet in the middle, bringing their mouths together, puppies close and in hand.


End file.
